1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices utilized for or in connection with cleaning fish and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to boards for holding a fish while it is being hand-cleaned.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The cleaning of a fish is a process which is well known to individuals who partake in the sport of fishing. One problem often encountered in hand cleaning of a fish is maintaining a hold on the fish. Scales and slime from the fish become ubiquitously distributed during the process of cleaning making it progressively more difficult and dangerous. The hands become less able to grip knives, scalers and the fish.
The prior art in the fish cleaning field includes a great number of boards for holding fish while cleaning. A problem with most of these devices is that, at most, they secure only one end of the fish requiring the person cleaning the fish to continuously manipulate and hold the other end (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,503,094; 3,713,189; 4,127,919; and 2,607,070). Accordingly, these devices might reduce the slime problem but do not solve it. Even devices which can secure both ends of a fish require that the fish be handled a great deal during cleaning. For example, after a fish has been cleaned on one side it must be removed from its holder and turned over to clean the other side. Since the holders which can secure both head and tail of a fish are somewhat complex and hard to use, the amount of fish manipulation during cleaning may not be reduced at all despite the purpose of such holders. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,248,751 and 3,727,269).
Another problem of prior art fish cleaning boards is that they are large and cumbersome or have many pieces of equipment protruding from them. Usually this equipment is made of metal which quickly rusts and corrodes such that the holder is rendered nonfunctional. Noncorrosive metals are, of course, expensive. Usually, in addition to being large and cumbersome no provision is made for carrying the board or for storing cleaning items such as knives and the like.